Kevin O’Connor Kommentary June 23

Bryan Man Arrested For Filing A False Police Report On His Grandmother And A Brazos County Jail Inmate Is Arrested For Assaulting Another Inmate

A Bryan man arrested for filing a false police report on his grandmother runs away from officers after he is taken into custody. Bryan police arrest reports say 19 year old Darrius Smith was able to run out of the indoor parking area of the Brazos County jail before the doors closed. Smith was found, still in his handcuffs, hiding outside an apartment building across Sandy Point Road from the jail. Smith was initially arrested for causing an emergency response to his 84 year old grandmother’s house. While Smith accused her of pointing a rifle at him, officers believed that was not possible. One reason is that the grandmother uses a walker. Also, she was not able to get to the rifle because it was in a closet behind a full sized heater and a large laundry basket. And the rifle was covered in dust, which the officer took as a sign that the rifle had not been used in quite some time. Smith, who was also charged with escape following his initial arrest, remains jailed as of April 18th in lieu of bonds totaling $12,000 dollars. A Brazos County jail inmate is arrested for assaulting another inmate who participated in a prayer walk. The sheriff’s office arrest report says the inmate who took offense at the group event struck one of the participants twice in the head. The victim was checked out by the jail’s medical staff for two areas on her forehead that were red and had swelling. Charged with assault causing bodily injury was 33 year old Maria Prado of Bryan. The arrest report also said Prado told the investigating deputy that she stopped hitting the victim because the victim did not hit her back. Prado, who is in the Brazos County jail for the 18th time since March 2008, has been held since March 16th on three warrants from Val Verde County on charges of human smuggling and warrants from Brazos and Edwards counties on charges of possessing controlled substances. Bonds in all cases totals $63,000 dollars.

College Station ISD School Board Hear From Cheerleaders Supporting The District’s May Bond Propositions

Public speakers at Tuesday’s (April 16) College Station ISD school board meeting included cheerleaders from Consolidated and College Station High Schools. Comments from all six cheerleaders, three from each high school, promoted the May 4th bond election to pay for renovations at their school’s athletic facilities. Early voting begins Monday (April 22) at five voting centers…the College Station Utilities meeting and training facility on Graham Road, Texas A&M’s memorial student center, Arena Hall and Galilee Baptist Church in Bryan, and the Brazos County elections office in downtown Bryan. Click HERE to be directed to WTAW’s new YouTube channel to watch The Infomaniacs Scott DeLucia and CSISD superintendent Tim Harkrider visit about the bond election. Click HERE to be directed to CSISD’s bond website. Click below to hear comments from cheerleaders at Consolidated and College Station High School, speaking during the April 16, 2024 CSISD school board meeting. Listen to “College Station ISD school board hears from cheerleaders supporting the district's May bond propositions” on Spreaker.  

Workforce Reduction Announced By FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Includes College Station Operations

The largest employer in the Bryan/College Station biocorridor and one of the largest private employers in Brazos County is going through its first reduction of employees. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDB), which came to the biocorridor in 2014, currently has 747 employees. A corporate spokeswoman says next week, up to 33 employees will take voluntary buyouts or will be laid off. A corporate news release says the employment reduction also impacts FDB locations in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and England. The loss of up to 240 jobs is the result of FUJI restructuring its small scale business unit. That follows challenges brought about by reduced venture capital investment, mostly in cell and gene therapy products.